Pages

Haniyeh: No state can be established without Gaza

Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister, Isma'il Haniyeh said on Tuesday that the de facto government in Gaza believes that there is no state in Gaza, yet no state can be established without Gaza.

Haniyeh was addressing the deposed cabinet in their weekly meeting in Gaza city and said the solution to the political stalemate in the Palestinian Territories can only be achieved through dialogue, geographical unity and commitment to the unity of the political system.

Constitution and basic law should be respected, he added.

"The solution lies in five points: restructuring the security services; establishing a unity government; adherence to Mecca agreement, Cairo agreement, and the national agreement accord; accepting legitimacies as a whole; and accepting that the Palestinian institutions and public properties belong to all Palestinians," Haniyeh said.

Haniyeh also reiterated his rejection of the presidential decree amending the electoral system, describing it as a usurping of the powers of the Palestinian Legislative Council, who are the only body authorized to amend the system.

In his address, Haniyeh welcomed all Arab meditation aimed at repairing the gaping rift that is tearing apart the Palestinian Territories, and at restoring Palestinian unity in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Haniyeh also applauded the Algerian ambassador to Cairo, Abed Al-Qadir Hajjar who called for the fact-finding committee on Hamas' takeover Gaza Strip to become a reconciliation committee between the Palestinians.

According to Haniyeh, Hajjat also said that ignoring Hamas and the deposed government in Gaza would not achieve stability, security and prosperity in the region.

Haniyeh also called on Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, to refrain from a policy of double-standards and to respect the democratic choice of the Palestinian people.